CHRISTMAS ISLANDPHOTO TOUR26th September - 3rd October 2017

Join me on a wonderful photographic journey across Christmas Island, an island I’ve called home for 10 years. An island bursting with natural wonders around every corner! We’ll walk through lush, tropical rainforests surrounded by towering trees, stand atop steep cliffs overlooking the ocean, with rare & endangered sea birds swooping down to see you! This is a fabulous opportunity to see Christmas Island in a small, intimate group setting & learn a few photography tips along the way. Whether you are an amature photographer, or more experienced, don’t miss this opportunity to see our wonderful Christmas Island!

ITINERARY26 September to 3 October 2017

Day 1 – Tuesday

Leaving from the Perth International Airport, you’ll fly direct to Christmas Island. The birds-eye views of the island from the plane before touching down will be amazing! I will be meet you at the airport where we’ll take a quick tour on the way to transfer to your accommodation for the week. The Sunset Lodge offers spectacular ocean views from the balcony of your first floor, air-conditioned room. Once you’ve unpacked and refreshed, we’ll drive straight up to one of the best lookouts on the island for some sunset drinks, before going out to dinner at one of the local restaurants. After dinner we’ll have a short presentation about the coming week and all the wonderful things you can expect to see & do!

Day 2 – Wednesday

After a good nights’ sleep, we’ll be up early and heading down to the Cove for a sunrise shoot, followed by a BBQ breakfast overlooking the water. Today, we’ll be exploring the nearby Lily & Ethel Beaches. Set amongst rocky cliffs, these beaches are picture perfect! We’ll take the boardwalk across the top of the cliffs and try to spot any nesting brown boobies along the way. You’ll be sure to see lots of our birdlife soaring overhead and of course plenty of crabs, including our biggest – the robber crab! We’ll enjoy lunch under the gazebos at Lily Beach before driving out to the middle of the jungle to our very own Lizard Lounge. Here you’ll get to see first hand the amazing job our National Parks team are doing to conserve our endangered native gecko populations. You’ll get up close to many of our cutest little reptiles! On our way back home we’ll stop to see The Grotto. Make sure you bring your bathers for a refreshing swim in

the cool, clear waters of this stunning cave. Just a short jungle walk from the road, this is a gorgeous location where you’ll walk amongst the crabs and hear the waves roaring through the small opening into the cave. After dinner at a local restaurant we can head up to the outdoor cinema for a movie under the stars!

Day 3 – Thursday

We’ll start the day at a local café for a lovely breakfast and then spend the morning exploring one of the most photographed locations on the island – The Dales. Set deep in the rainforest, we’ll take our time along the boardwalks and forest trails up to the stunning waterfall. Once finished here, we’ll continue the longer walk down Anderson’s Dale – where the freshwater meets the ocean! A picnic lunch at Martin Point overlooking the coral reef below will be just what we need after our long jungle walk! If the tides are right, we can pop into Merrial Beach - one of our most secluded & secret beaches on the island before heading back into town for a well-earned rest. Sunset will be at the cliffs at Sunset Park, followed by a casual bbq dinner.

Day 4 - Friday

We’ll start the day with a cooked breakfast down at the Cove, where we’ll meet up with our boat tour operator who will take us for a wonderful morning out on the water. You’ll get to see countless birds soaring above, including Red-tailed Tropic birds & Red-footed Boobies & we might even be lucky enough to spot a pod of spinner dolphins! If you have an underwater camera, now is the time to use it, as we’ll be snorkelling in some of the most crystal clear waters on the planet! The views of the island from the water are spectacular and snorkelling over the reef is amazing! We’ll stop in town for lunch and then drive out to the Golf Course Lookout. We’ll walk down the jungle track to the lookout – far above the golf course, offering spectacular views of the ocean below! Look out for lots of Frigate birds & Red-footed Boobies flying past at eye-level. Sunset today will be at the very picturesque Sitting Room before having dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 5 - Saturday

This morning we’ll drive out the Lily Beach boardwalk to catch the sunrise, then back to town for breakfast. Today we will travel to two of our most isolated beaches – Dolly & Greta. A lovely drive through the jungle will bring us to the start of the boardwalk track, and after a leisurely 40min walk, we will arrive at the coconut palm-lined, Dolly Beach, one of our major turtle nesting beaches. You can have a dip in the natural spa pool before having a picnic lunch – you’ll have to make sure the friendly robber crabs don’t steal your lunch though! Once we’ve finished exploring Dolly Beach, we’ll drive back along the track to Greta Beach, where we can take the steep staircase down from the top of the cliff to the sandy shores of another of our turtle nesting beaches. You can forage through the large amounts of flotsam that washes up on the beach for some hidden treasures. We’ll drive back into town for a rest or a swim at the Cove, before meeting again for sunset, dinner & a movie at the outdoor cinema!

Day 6 – Sunday

Today, we’ll drive out to the golf course to catch the sunrise. After breakfast, we’ll take a leisurely walk through the jungle along the Territory Day Park track, all the way down to Tai Jin House. From here to can see the Cove from a difference perspective & of course, lots of our birds, particularly the Red-Tailed Tropic bird. For lunch we’ll drive out to Lily Beach and then off to Margaret Knoll. Here, we will walk the tree-lined track, taking time to photograph the large buttress roots & strangler figs on our way up to the lookout for some more stunning views of the island. This is another fabulous spot to see our many birds, including the Brown Booby, Golden Bosun and Frigate birds. We will then drive across the island to the Blowholes, stopping to see the largest tree on the island! Its hard not to feel in awe as you stand looking up into the canopy - it’s a true icon of the island. At the blowholes, hopefully there’ll be a bit of swell to push the water through the holes, blowing it high into the air! A wonderful spot for sunset drinks. We’ll then drive back to town for dinner.

Day 7 – Monday

Today you are in for a cultural treat! It’s Territory Day – the one, special day of the year Christmas Islander’s celebrate being part of this wonderful community. We’ll meet up for sunrise at the Golf Course Lookout and have breakfast at the Cove. For the morning you’ll be free to wander the stalls and markets, join in activities and enjoy the tastes of our Christmas Island cultural food! We’ll have lunch at the markets and then drive out to the Dales waterfall to see the difference a bit of late afternoon sun can make to your photographs! Sunset will be at the Martin Point lookout, before having our final dinner together.

Day 8 – Tuesday

For anyone who’s keen, we’ll try for our final sunrise at Lily Beach before having breakfast in town. We’re going up to the National Parks headquarters today to see and hear the efforts undertaken in rehabilitating a range of different island birds. You’ll be able to get up close and personal to many of the island bird species, including Frigates, Boobies and possibly the Golden Bosun. We’ll have a quick farewell lunch before packing up and heading to the airport to check-in and say our goodbye’s. As the return flight to Perth goes via Cocos Keeling Island, it’s a great opportunity to stay an extra few nights and see all the wonderful sights our island neighbours have to offer!

Contact Lisa Preston at Indian Ocean Experiences for details & flight bookings to Christmas or Cocos Keeling Islands.

COST $3,500 (max 4 guests)

Includes:• 7 nights, twinshare accommodation at The Sunset, in ocean view rooms• All meals & some drinks• Transport in a large air-conditioned 4x4• Boat/snorkelling tour• National Parks tours

Excluding:• Airfares• Travel Insurance• Alcohol• Incidentals